Arsenic, Organic Foods, and Brown Rice Syrup

BACKGROUND: Rice can be a major source of inorganic arsenic (As-i) for many subpopulations. Rice products are also used as ingredients in prepared foods, some of which may not be obviously rice based. Organic brown rice syrup (OBRS) is used as a sweetener in organic food products as an alternative to high-fructose corn syrup. We hypothesized that OBRS introduces As into these products. OBJECTIVE: We determined the concentration and speciation of As in commercially available brown rice syrups and in products containing OBRS, including toddler formula, cereal/energy bars, and high-energy foods used by endurance athletes. METHODS: We used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ion chromatography coupled to ICP-MS to determine total As (As-total) concentrations and As speciation in products purchased via the Internet or in stores in the Hanover, New Hampshire, area. DISCUSSION: We found that OBRS can contain high concentrations of As-i and dimethyl arsenate (DMA). An organic toddler milk formula containing OBRS as the primary ingredient had As-total concentrations up to six times the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency safe drinking water limit. Cereal bars and high-energy foods containing OBRS also had higher As concentrations than equivalent products that did not contain OBRS. As-i was the main As species in most food products tested in this study. CONCLUSIONS: There are currently no U. S. regulations applicable to As in food, but our findings suggest that the OBRS products we evaluated may introduce significant concentrations of As-i into an individual's diet. Thus, we conclude that there is an urgent need for regulatory limits on As in food.